Out and about: Louie Anderson, Keith Partridge (er, David Cassidy), Squeeze and the Twilight opener

Published: June 27, 2012 5:32 pm

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Louie Anderson

Spotlight show • The veteran comic and Las Vegas draw Louie Anderson remembered the first time he performed stand-up in Utah. The venue was the basement of a shop called The Rolling Scone in Provo, and he thought to himself, "These people are so happy." Then he realized it was probably because he was clean. In a phone interview, Anderson said he always strove to write material that the whole family could listen to together  something his famously dysfunctional family never did. "Comedy is a way to make it right," he said. Anderson said his first appearance on Johnny Carson's late-night show was the equivalent today of winning "American Idol"; as soon as he was done with the brief bit on TV, his income shot up from $100 a week to a $1,000 a night. "Ultimately, I enjoy stand-up with gratitude," he said.

When • Saturday, June 30, at 7 and 9 p.m.

Where • Wiseguys West Valley City, 2194 W. 3500 South

Tickets • $25 at www.wiseguyscomedy.com

Squeeze

Spotlight show • With B-52's co-headlining, British pop band Squeeze will perform at the University of Utah's botanical garden. You might not recognize the name, but you know the song "Tempted," one of the best examples of frontmen Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook's fine craftsmanship. In a phone interview, Difford, 57, said the reunited band hopes to record two or three new songs before autumn, but "it's complicated. … There's no rush." The group has endured three extended hiatuses, and its latest studio album was 2010's "Spot the Difference," in which it re-recorded some of its old songs in a slightly different arrangement. "I thought Glenn did a great job on re-creating the past," Difford said. When not with Squeeze, Difford pairs up with British comic Norman Lovett to tell the story of Squeeze in 55 minutes, with Lovett cracking jokes. But don't expect much of that Monday. "The irony of it is that I don't talk onstage with Squeeze," Difford said. "When we're Squeeze, we let the music do the talking."

Spotlight show • Neo-soul music will take the stage at The Depot, with Fitz & The Tantrums closing out the night with their Los Angeles-based soulful stylings. Noelle Scaggs, 32, shares lead-singing duties with Michael Fitzpatrick, a role that has expanded since she joined the band in 2008. "When we started working together, it was as a backup [singer]," she said in a phone interview. "I wasn't really committed. Naturally, it's been a progression. I'm not a backup singer." Opening act Royal Teeth's Gary Larsen he said in an interview that the New Wave-influenced band grew a fan base by being centrally located between the hot spots of Baton Rouge, Lafayette and New Orleans. The "let the good times roll" spirit is innate to the band, Larsen said, and the members are focused on creating "positive music that feels good." Of course, you can expect to dance.

When • Tuesday, July 3, at 8 p.m.

Where • The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City

Tickets • $20 in advance, $25 night of, at www.SmithsTix.com

Beach House with The Walkmen

Spotlight show • Beach House performs live at Pioneer Park to kick off downtown's popular 2012 Twilight Concert Series, which for the first time is charging $5 for tickets sold at the gate (also in advance at Graywhale Entertainment stores and other places). Beach House combines elements of folk, pop and experimental electronic for a mellow sound, with garage band-inspired The Walkmen opening. In an interview with The Tribune, The Walkmen's bassist Peter Bauer said the New York-based band was so impressed with the production work of Fleet Foxes' "Helplessness Blues" that it temporarily moved to the Pacific Northwest to work with that album's producer. As a result, Bauer said, the album is "cleaner, but still grand-sounding." Earlier this year, the band celebrated the 10th anniversary of its debut album, "Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone," with Bauer calling it akin to a "high-school reunion."

When • Thursday, July 5, at 7 p.m.; gates open at 5 p.m.

Where • Pioneer Park, 300 S. 300 West, Salt Lake City

Tickets • $5 at gate or in advance at www.24Tix.com

David Cassidy

Spotlight show • Pop-culture icon and "Partridge Family" heartthrob David Cassidy will appear in a special tribute to his friend Davy Jones of the Monkees, who was scheduled to perform for the Layton series before his untimely death. In a Tribune inteview, Cassidy said he and Jones met when Cassidy's Hollywood Hills neighbor was Jones' manager. The two developed a close friendship over the years, bonding over shared experiences as teen idols who had been theater-trained, as well as a common love of horses. "There was much mutual respect," Cassidy said. Jones and Cassidy share an agent, so the agent asked Cassidy to step in for a few already-scheduled shows after Jones died in February. The show will include many songs from Jones' years with The Monkees, while Cassidy's fans will also be treated to a "musical journey through the years" of Cassidy's catalog, he said.

Exigent Records' second annual Crucial Fest continues into its second weekend with harder-edged bands at Kilby Court, Bar Deluxe and Urban Lounge. Visit www.exigentrecords.com for more information.

When • Friday, June 29, at 6 p.m. and Saturday, June 30, at 1 p.m.

Where • Various locations

Tickets • $25 for those 21 and older; $20 for all-ages shows; door price at each show is $10

Rookie of the Year

North Carolina-raised indie-rock artist Rookie of the Year will perform with guests Car Party, Eryn Wood and Under The Oak Tree.

When • Friday, June 29, at 6:30 p.m.

Where • The Basement, 3109 Wall St., Ogden

Tickets • $10 at www.SmithsTix.com

Suzy Bogguss

Country singer-songwriter Suzy Bogguss is a veteran of the Heber City Cowboy Poetry Gathering and Buckaroo Fair, and noted for her string of three best-selling albums in the early 1990s, including "Aces."

When • Friday, June 29, at 8 p.m.

Where • Ogden Amphitheater, 343 E. 25th St., Ogden

Tickets • $15 for general admission, $20 for reserved seat, at www.SmithsTix.com